Is Bikram Yoga Right for You?

July 2nd, 2012

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Is Bikram Yoga Right for You?

The bikram yoga was developed by Bikram Choudhury, a yoga master, who is still living. This is considered a type of Hot Yoga. It is called hot because it is done typically in a well-heated room at temperatures between 95-degrees to 105-degrees Fahrenheit. The sessions are designed to be vigorous and to bring on sweating. The warmth is said to make the body more flexible.

The bikram yoga method involves 26 different poses which are performed two times each in the course of a 90-minute session. There are also 2 breathing exercises too. Each one of the poses is designed to be challenging in some way providing some health benefits that are very effective. You can find classes for beginners as well as more seasoned participants.

Various yoga poses are done with supervision and in a room that is heated. The point of the heat is to loosen up the muscles so there is less resistance, by doing this there is a lower risk of injury. These poses are done in a specific way as to get your body ready for the next pose, through this comes the healing power.

By the time you finish the sequence of poses in this type of yoga session, you have exercised each joint, muscle, tendon, ligament, gland and internal organ while moving freshly-oxygenated blood throughout your whole body. The postures used get your body functioning in balance again.

The bikram yoga develops balance, flexibility and strength through gently massaging and stretching your muscles, spine, joints, tendons and your body’s internal organs. The capacity of your lungs will be improved too, with better breathing comes more energy. You muscles become well toned, more flexible and stronger along with numerous other benefits. This yoga with its sequence of poses can help repair and heal injuries, help you recover from illnesses, accomplish weight loss, and calm your mind.

Bikram Choudhury believes that this yoga deeply affects the blood circulation in your body through the processes of compression and extension. These processes work jointly to provide each organ, muscle and joint in your body with oxygen. When performing specific poses (asanas) you either compress or stretched a specific part of your body. This results in the blood flow being temporarily cut off. When this happens your heart has to then pump out more blood to the area to make up for it. This pumping of the new blood is what is considered extension.

As you complete the pose and come out of it, the freshly oxygenated blood rejuvenates your arteries that were compressed during the pose. This is said to help remove the toxins, bacteria and infection from your system.

Before doing this form of yoga, make sure you are in good enough health. It has been reported that some students get dizzy and nauseous in the heat while performing the asanas. If you are just learning and feel strange then rest a bit until you feel better. Then join back in.

If you find that the bikram yoga is for you, you will reap many benefits from it as you can see. In the event that you feel that it is not for you though, there are many other styles of yoga to choose from.